Identical twin brothers Ben and Sam Tweddell could hardly believe their eyes when they opened their A-level results and discovered they had achieved almost exactly the same grades this morning (Thursday, August 13). The 19-year-olds, from Southport, were celebrating at Christ the King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre after receiving their results.
Almost identical grades
Ben, who is going on to study Criminology and Sociology at Edge Hill University, said: “Wow.” as he opened his results live in front of the ECHO. He achieved a Distinction in Business, an A* in his Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), an A in Sociology and a B in Law. He added: “I feel amazing.”
Twin brother Sam, who will study Geography also at Edge Hill, achieved a Distinction in Business and an A in his EPQ, alongside an A* in Sociology and a B in Psychology. He said: “This is so good.”
Support through school
The pair said that growing up and going through school together had been a huge source of support. Ben said: “It’s fun because you can joke with a teacher sometimes.” Sam added: “It’s made it easier to have support through school.”
Their mum Nikki Jones, 54, and dad, Andy Jones, 60, were at the school with the twins to celebrate their results. Nikki told the ECHO that she was “absolutely bursting” with pride. She said: “I was expecting good results, because I know how hard both boys have worked, but not what we’ve got here.”
School journey and future plans
The twins were born 10 weeks premature and were held back a school year before attending Our Lady’s and then Christ the King. They later spent a year at a different sixth form college after deciding they fancied a change, before returning to Christ the King to complete two more years. Nikki said the decision ultimately worked out perfectly. She said: “They’ve come through the whole school, from Our Lady’s to Christ the King. They left to go to KGV for one year just because they fancied a change, missed this, and then came back and re-did two years here. And now they’ve had incredible results, absolutely.”
While the exam period brought its fair share of stress at home, Nikki said she could not be prouder of how the brothers had come through it. She said: “Exam time in our house was proper stressful.” Now, with the results secured and university places confirmed, the family plans to celebrate with a meal in Hickory’s. Nikki said: “They love Hickory’s, so we’re going there.”
And while she admitted she would miss having the twins around, there is no immediate empty-nest moment on the horizon as both boys will be staying at home while studying at Edge Hill. She said: “I’m going to miss them, but they’re going to live at home, and they’re going to both go to Edge Hill to do different courses, so it’s lovely.” Nikki also had nothing but praise for the school and the support her sons had received throughout their education. She said: “It’s the best school. I can’t sing this school's praises any better. The support that they’ve had, literally right the way through has been second to none.”
